I'm giving the series a 4/5 for the time being, even though that's a bit unfair since it is incomplete.

Shin Sekai Yori is kind of hard to boil down into a back-of-the-box type description. It's near impossible to do so without some light spoilers. Shin Sekai Yori's set a thousand years in the post-apocalyptic future. A small percentage of humans developed psychokinetic powers around ...

I'm giving the series a 4/5 for the time being, even though that's a bit unfair since it is incomplete.

Shin Sekai Yori is kind of hard to boil down into a back-of-the-box type description. It's near impossible to do so without some light spoilers. Shin Sekai Yori's set a thousand years in the post-apocalyptic future. A small percentage of humans developed psychokinetic powers around 2012, which lead to war between those without powers and those with them. Humanity's numbers eventually fell to an extreme amount, where the population in post-apocalyptic Japan is somewhere around 50,000 total.

What the story really revolves around is how this new society functions. In order to ensure the continued survival of humanity, a slew of unethical, immoral, and inhumane actions are taken. It is reminiscent of novels like 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and so on. The series raises the issue of how far we are willing to go in order to survive as a species, to the point of giving up our own free will. You will see clearly abhorrent actions being committed, and instead of immediately feeling aversion to them, will find yourself thinking twice about if, in the long run, they are the correct actions to take.

Unfortunately, the show can suffer from lack of good pacing sometimes. The animation, as some have pointed out, also seems to fluctuate in quality from episode to episode. The characters, aside from the main one, can also be a little two-dimensional.

Shin Sekai Yori's strengths are not in its own presentation, art style, or score. Its strength is in the effect it has on the viewer's thinking. If you're looking for a non-stop action-fest, keep looking. This series is a thinker's series, and that's refreshing to see since it's not often we find this in anime. I look forward to continue following it, and hope it does not squander its potential.

Shin Sekai Yori starts out as a slice of life series, but turns into an excellent dystopian sci-fi series.

Based on a Japanese novel of the same name, Shin Sekai Yori investigates social engineering employed in a society so fragile that it can be destroyed by any of its members. As you might guess, great lengths must be taken to protect the many from the few. While I question the robustness of ...

Shin Sekai Yori starts out as a slice of life series, but turns into an excellent dystopian sci-fi series.

Based on a Japanese novel of the same name, Shin Sekai Yori investigates social engineering employed in a society so fragile that it can be destroyed by any of its members. As you might guess, great lengths must be taken to protect the many from the few. While I question the robustness of their solution (which would send an NRA member into a fit of rage), this lack of robustness and fragility is openly acknowledge a central part of the show.

The monster rats form a second social study, forming an interesting mix of human and termite like cultures.They live in underground colonies governed by single giant queens, who is the only reproductive female in the colony.

From the beginning, the show strongly hints that they are uplifted mole rats, with the lack of hair and inability to regulate temperature being dead giveaways. Most critically, mole rats are one of the few eusocial mammals and are ruled by a single reproducing female.

Why anyone thought that uplifting these critters was a good idea is beyond me. Even without human tampering, naked mole rats have many unpleasant social qualities. The tyranny of the dominant female and the rigid social hierarchy enforced by violence would be enough for me to exclude monster rats from any modifications, but in the sick new world of Shin Sekai Yori, that's probably why they were chosen. The early social engineers probably thought that the hierarchical society would make them easy to control and that the tyranny of individual queens would keep them politically divided. That's great, but gods often make their children in their own image. The infusion of human like traits makes for interesting results.

Given the focus is on strong sci fi and social structures, the characters take a back seat. They are interesting enough to carry the plot and Satoru is definitely likeable, but they aren't iconic and they don't steal the show from the sci fi aspect. Saki is a typical narrator character and has the very bland distinction of being the most mentally stable person in the entire village. Yep... Narrator material... It's sort of striking how faithfully they stick to her POV, though. Many anime are omnipresent.

So, Shin Sekai Yori has excellent science fiction qualities, making it one of the few plot oriented anime that I give a really high score.

Slice of life, scifi, monster rats?! This anime is just awesome. It takes a lil' extra thinking and stuff to understand what is going on but that is why it's so good! Glad it is continuing on. Each episode lays down a good foundation for the next, which is very nice. You don't see that alot in some of these anime nowadays. Then again you never see anime like this anyway. I LOVE IT.

It really did surprise me! I wasn't expecting such a misterious and smart drama. Five teenagers discovering the history behind their own society while trying to explain the void within their hearts and thoughts.

If you're a fan of Kino's Journey or Ico/Shadow of the Colossus, this show will captivate you. There's mystery and intrigue that indicates some real depth that very few shows have. Looking forward to more.

I liked the mystery involved, now I have to know how everythng turns out. It delivers an interesting idea and is worth watching. The first episode was a little weak, mainly because it ended just when it was getting good. It's definetly worth a look.

Loved this anime more than any of the ones I watched this year.
The ending was perfect and it had depth and a great storyline. I loved the animation at times, the backgrounds were really stunning.
I'm going to have to get my hands on the books now because I seriously need more.

I did not know what to expect going into this but Shin Kedai Yori exceed whatever expectations I might have had. It is one of the better Anime I have had the pleasure of watching. Complex ideas and though. Open ended events that leave room for analysis and interpretation. A hearty recommendation.

This is a most watch! I've seen a lot of different kinds of anime, from shoujo to the darkest gory animes and there's not a lot of anime that keep you intrigue and wanting more like this one does. During the entire series it takes you moments after the episode is done to think and realize what's really going on. Character developing is amazing! Scenary superb, and background music just ...

This is a most watch! I've seen a lot of different kinds of anime, from shoujo to the darkest gory animes and there's not a lot of anime that keep you intrigue and wanting more like this one does. During the entire series it takes you moments after the episode is done to think and realize what's really going on. Character developing is amazing! Scenary superb, and background music just outstanding!
It will forever be one of the most amazing animes I've seen!!

About the Show

Five children living in the future are the protagonists. The story begins when they are 12 years old and starting their lives at an advanced
Five children living in the future are the protagonists. The story begins when they are 12 years old and starting their lives at an advanced school to learn the ‘cursed power’ of telekinesis. ...more